


Witch Hazel

by bryar6



Series: A Wizard's Beginnings [3]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, Pre-Wizards, a little fluff, character backstory, character meeting, small time jump in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bryar6/pseuds/bryar6
Summary: Douxie met Zoe for the first time in a small apothecary shop not long after Merlin had taken him in, not knowing that he'd make a life-long friend while reeking of the Slorr.
Relationships: Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan/Zoe
Series: A Wizard's Beginnings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941658
Comments: 13
Kudos: 35





	Witch Hazel

Douxie is out running errands again, after having milked the Slorr for what had to have been the third time this week. And he reeks. Merlin seems to be terribly fond of sending a smelly apprentice out for him, which seems hypocritical to Douxie. Afterall, a blue-stained teenager dashing about saying he was picking up things for the great master wizard just sounds like a bad impression. 

The smell is getting to the point that even Archie is refusing to come closer than a few feet to the boy. Douxie vows to beg for better chores.

Douxie rounds the corner and hops up some steps into an apothecary’s shop, procuring Merlin’s list. Luckily, in the last eighteen years in Merlin’s company, he had been taught how to properly read. 

“Good morrow,” Douxie pants, holding the list out. “I need some supplies for my master, Merlin. Everything is listed there.” 

The older woman standing behind the counter picks up a pair of spectacles and adjusts them on her nose. “Well, I think we’ll have most of these things. Zoe?” 

A short, sandy-haired girl appears behind the counter, looking to be maybe a little older than Douxie- the age that he looks to be, not physically is. Magic has a funny habit of not kicking in until the user has been practicing it for a decade or so, with regularity. If the user drops off, aging resumes as normal within a year. Merlin said he’d explain the intricacies of it to him some day, but for some reason, Douxie isn’t terribly interested in it. 

Zoe takes the list in hand and looks up to Douxie, scrunching her nose. “Something smells in here, Isabel.” 

“Hmm. I did leave some fish to dry in the back room the other day. I’d best go check that they haven’t spoiled.” The woman wanders off, leaving Zoe and Douxie to scan the shelves. 

“So who are you? Merlin’s servant?” Zoe drops a couple bags of herbs into a basket. 

“No! I’m none other than Hisirdoux Casperan, his apprentice.” He puffs his chest a little at that, but Zoe rolls her eyes. 

“That’s just a fancy way of saying the same thing. Merlin’s a piece of work,” she mutters. “If you didn’t seem so impressed to be working for him, I’d probably pity you. Why’d he pick you, anyways? Just conveniently in the way one day?” 

“He saved me in the streets from getting skewered by some knights for doing magic. I owe this to him, if nothing else.” Zoe struggles to reach something on a top shelf so Douxie grabs it and hands it to her. She snatches it away. 

“I had that.” But her face shows some amusement. 

“Mm hmm.”

“So, you know some magic. How old are you, then? A hundred? Two, three centuries?” She looks him up and down, as if trying to calculate herself.

“Thirty, but I stopped aging at nineteen.”

“Huh. I’d expected you’d be much older. Then again, I can’t recall seeing you around. Can’t say I’m surprised though, what with all your praise of that man,” she scoffs. “You’ll get over it.”

“What’s your issue with Merlin?” Douxie inquires, genuinely curious. 

“He’s a hypocrite!” Now that, Douxie can agree on to a point. “And he’s the reason I’m stuck hiding this. And don’t you dare tell anyone you know anything about me.”

She lifts a hand, small lightning bolts jumping between her fingertips. Douxie’s eyes widen. He’d almost forgotten that magic is still strictly forbidden within the common folk.

“So you too, then. How old are you, really?” 

Zoe shakes her head, adding a few jars to the basket. “They say never ask a woman her age, right?”

“Oh, that’s old-fashioned-” Douxie starts. 

“Thirty-four. But I began magic at eleven.” She shoulders past him as he counts off on his fingers. “It’s odd. I’ve never met a wizard my age before. And especially not one that started magic at the same age.”

“So permanently twenty-three. I see.” 

“Yep. It’s not so terrible, I suppose. The whole working underground thing isn’t a blast, but I’m going to change that. And to think everything has just begun.”

“You and me both,” Douxie laughs. 

“Well, that’s all, Hirsirdoux. I’m guessing Merlin the Master Wizard wants this all put on his tab?” Zoe makes her way back to the counter. 

“Er, yes, he does. Sorry about that. And just Douxie is fine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Say, Just-Douxie, have you been milking a Slorr?” 

He smiles. She’s got a sense of humor. “Yes, actually, and I despise it,” he answers. 

“I thought so. Here, I’ve thrown in a type of soap that works well for these things. It’s witch hazel and a few other things, I always found it gets the smell out of anything, or, well, anyone. I’m sure Merlin won’t notice a couple things added to the list,” she says, not looking up from counting out and writing the costs. 

“Thank you, Zoe.” And he means it. This little interaction has brightened his day ten-fold.

“Don’t mention it. Repay the favor one day, huh?” She hands him the basket and settles on a stool, hands on her hips. 

“Sure,” he chuckles. “I’ll be back soon enough, anyways. Enjoy the afternoon!” He waves, a big grin spreading on his face. 

“I’ll try,” she calls, before the door shuts behind him. A smile settles on her face. She gets the feeling he’ll become a familiar face. 

*** Nine Hundred Years Later ***

“By the stars, Zoe, what did you run into?” Douxie exclaims, coughing loudly. 

“A skunk. Of all mortal and natural creatures to walk the Earth, it was just a skunk. Didn’t I tell you that already?” She pinches the bridge of her nose. He shrugs. 

“Nasty. Well, I brought you some witch hazel, that stuff does miracles. All Arch could talk about was that you smelled, so I thought it couldn't hurt.”

Zoe looks up in soft surprise. “You remembered? After all these years?”

Douxie laughs. “I never forgot! Archie finally came back to sleeping with me at night because of you. I’m just glad they still sell the stuff.”

“Huh,” she says, mostly to herself. “I might be a little impressed.”

“Why thank you, m’lady. I’m going to get some, uh, fresh air,” he says, waving a hand in front of his nose and turning around to exit her apartment. 

She shakes her head, a smile curling on her face. He sure became a familiar face, alright.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you'd like to know, witch hazel is actually great for getting out natural odors, particularly animal smells! I know this from personal experience and it works quite well for goat, pig, and other farm animal stink and I hear it works for skunk, as well. It's supposedly got other benefits for skin, but it has a very potent smell (that I just so happen to like). Fun fact :-)


End file.
